South Asian Life, The Great Outdoors

10 Things I’ve Learned about South Asian Villages

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A Day in the Village Life

Most people I’ve met in villages of South Asia are hard working and tough. They don’t complain. They remain steadfast day in and day out. And they are truly beautiful people.

This is a what I noticed on a trip to the village as we learned about South Asian culture and life. South Asia is incredibly diverse so I am not assuming every village is the same. This was just a little bit of what I saw and came away with.

Once you hit the road, you never know what you’ll see.

1. Village roads often blend in with the landscape

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Like this landslide. We only waited for 20 minutes for it to be cleared but sometimes it’s hours or days (aka. go back to where you were).
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sometimes there’s not a clear separation between the river & the road

2. In the village, life is slow and work is hard.

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Laundry is done by hand
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Loads are often carried on your back
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or on your head

3. In the village, animals abound.

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Animals need to be tended to

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Unless they are wild (and CRAZY)

4. In the village, even ordinary sights are beautiful.

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red chili

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5. In the village, markets are lively.

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This massive copper pot is used during weddings when a large portion of food is cooked. A big standard metal pot would burn the food if people are trying to keep it hot for long periods of time.  Price= equivalent to around $200!!
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men’s hats (different patterns represent different people groups or towns)
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Jalebi: Popular South Asian sweet. Make by deep-frying batter made with flour in pretzel or circular shapes. It is then soaked in sugar syrup.
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handmade leather shoes

6. In the village, temples are everywhere.

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bells ring
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people sing and bring offerings to the temple

7. In the village, clothes are colorful & people are beautiful.

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tradition wedding dress from the people group this lady is from

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these ladies haul concrete all day and still have smiles on their faces

8. In the village, you never know what you’ll see.

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Like a yoga teacher who shows you his favorite pose

 

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or a car on the other side of the river (where there was only a small foot bridge). How did they get it over there, you ask? We talked to a villager. They disassembled the car and carried it with 10 men!

9. In the village, there’s plenty of chai and biscuits.

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10. In the village, there’s a plethora of bread & lentils.

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bread options usually include: roti, naan & chapati

 

And that’s our South Asian village sights

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